Standards
by Indigo-Night-Wisp
Summary: The only girl Niko ever even considered having anything resembling an actual relationship with during his school years was Tracy Kide.


**Disclaimer: They belong to Rob. Except for the OC. She's mine. But her name belongs to someone else. **

**A/N: This was partially inspired by a really great fic called "Five Girls Niko Never Dated" by Min Daae. It is fantastic and sparked my muse. **

**Dedicated to the lovely, wonderful, ever-talented Obi-the-Kid, a fantastic author for this fandom. We are lucky to have her. **

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The only girl Niko ever even considered having anything resembling an actual relationship with (before Promise Nottinger, that is, but she was later) was Tracy Kide. She was in his freshman class at his current school, and she was sweet and pretty and nice and intelligent enough to hold her own in a conversation with Niko, which endeared her to him automatically.

She asked him out a week after meeting him, and he was surprised to realize that he actually wished he could go. But he couldn't leave Cal alone with Sophia, so he mustered a smile and said, "Sorry. I'm… sort of busy tonight."

He had learned the hard way that telling girls he had to babysit his younger brother just got him disgusted looks and "Well if you didn't want to go, you could just say so! You didn't have to make up some story!"

Tracy just smiled back and said, graciously, "Some other time, then?"

"Ah, probably not," he stuttered awkwardly, regretfully. "I… I don't really date."

She cocked her head to the side. "Do your parents not let you?"

He had to stifle a laugh at the idea of Sophia giving a snap about whether or not he dated. "Uh, no. But I have… responsibilities."

She grinned. "You can't take one night off?"

"No," and this was firm, not regretful in the least. "No, I cannot." Take one night off? Take a night off from watching over his baby brother, from taking care of him, from loving him? Niko would rather die.

"Alright," said Tracy easily. "Then how about I come help you with your… responsibilities."

He stared at her incredulously. She laughed.

"What's this? The ever-eloquent Niko Leandros, shocked speechless?"

"Why would you… you don't even know what I'm talking about!"

She shrugged. "So? What is it? I mean, do you have a job or something? Or is it just home stuff? It isn't like you're a drug dealer or something." She tossed her head to emphasize the ridiculousness of such an idea, and Niko couldn't help the shot of warmth that went through him. So many people assumed that he _was_, in fact, a dealer, simply because of where he lived. That Tracy would have such confidence was incredibly reassuring.

"I…" he paused, helplessly. He had to tell her the truth, didn't he? "I have to take care of my little brother," he said finally.

Tracy laughed. "Is that all? Well, come on then! Let's go," she took his hand and tugged lightly.

Niko looked surprised. "You believe me?"

She looked puzzled. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"Some people don't," he muttered. She tossed her head again.

"Well that's just stupid! How should they know if you have a little brother or not?"

"I think," he said carefully, "that it is the part where _I_ have to take care of him that they don't believe."

She cocked her head again. "Why shouldn't you take care of him? He's your brother!"

He sighed. "Most kids have parents for that," he pointed out.

Her eyes held, not pity as he'd feared, but understanding. "That's why most kids don't get it," she pointed back, gently.

Speechless again, he just stared at her. Tracy grinned at him and said again, "Let's go!"

They went to Cal's school to pick him up. The ten-year-old, upon seeing Tracy, turned to Niko and said, "Please tell me this is what I think it is."

Niko rolled his eyes. "Cal, this is Tracy. Tracy, this is my little brother, Cal."

"Hiya," Tracy said cheerfully, holding out a hand for Cal to shake. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, sure," Cal said, politely (for Cal), shaking her hand. "Uh, what's going on?"

Niko looked slightly uncomfortable. "Tracy… wanted to hang out tonight."

"Like a date?" Cal interrupted excitedly. Tracy laughed as Niko sputtered.

"No! Well," he looked helplessly at Tracy who simply grinned and waved him on. "Cal," he tried again, "we aren't going out anywhere. So it's not really a date."

"Why not?" Tracy and Cal asked at the same time. Niko froze and Tracy gestured for Cal to go first.

"Why aren't you going out?" Cal clarified, crossing his arms. Niko sighed, crouching down so he could look his little brother in the eye.

"I'm not leaving you alone," he said seriously. Cal rolled his eyes.

"So you're going to let your life go by because you don't want me not to have a babysitter? Geez, Nik, if that's all, then I'll go over to the neighbor lady. The one with all the cats."

Niko shook his head. "No, Cal. I'm not leaving you."

Tracy piped up. "No one is leaving anybody. We are going to hang out tonight, _together_." She gave them both a pointed look. "Now what _I_ want to know is: why can't this be a date, Niko?"

He blushed, slightly. "We… most people don't bring little brothers on their dates," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, we are. He can be our chaperone." She grinned at Cal, who smirked back. Niko covered his eyes with his hand.

"Give me strength," he asked the universe at large.

They had one of the best evenings Niko could remember. They didn't stay home, actually, but instead went to get milkshakes and went walking in the park. Niko had only enough money for Cal's shake, but Tracy, instead of embarrassing him by offering to pay for his, simply stuck a second straw into hers and slyly scooted a little bit closer to him on the café booth. Cal pretended to gag, but hid his grin behind his glass.

As they walked, not once did Tracy complain about the ten year old kid who tagged along behind her and Niko, not once did she try to ignore him or leave him out. She talked to Cal and laughed with him and tickled his stomach when he made kissy faces at her and his big brother.

Niko fell a little bit in love with her that night.

Four weeks later, Sophia moved them to Tennessee. Tracy cried when she said goodbye, kissing them both.

"I'll miss you," she whispered to Cal.

"I won't forget you," she promised Niko.

Cal's head leaned on Niko's shoulder in the backseat of Sophia's car and he sighed, sadly.

"She was…" he didn't finish.

"Yeah," Niko understood. "She was."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this Obi, at least a little bit. I cracked myself up writing it, thinking about my little joke. ^-^**

**And to all of you other readers, I hope you all like it too. It's sort of weird for me, 'cause I really don't usually write OCs in fanfic, and definitely not romantic OCs for the main character! But it didn't last, of course, so I feel okay about it. (Plus, she's not exactly an OC *winkwinknudge, Obi*)**

**Anyway…**


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